Probably because the rest of the band was looking to tour with or without him...
MaxMFP
09-29-08, 12:17 AM
Groovy.
nothingfails
09-29-08, 12:19 AM
whatever happened to "without John Bonham, Led Zeppelin doesn't exist"? Oh well, if Queen can tour without Freddie, Zeppelin can tour without it's drummer, lol
NoirFan
09-29-08, 12:40 AM
Probably because the rest of the band was looking to tour with or without him...
Who would see Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant? Was Page planning on ringing up old buddy David Coverdale?
Josh-da-man
09-29-08, 12:40 AM
Probably because the rest of the band was looking to tour with or without him...
So what's David Coverdale going to be doing next year now?
Well, that's great to hear. I'm sure tix will be near-impossible through ticketmaster, but this is one time I'll pay whatever exorbitant rate anyone asks at Stub Hub. It's Led Zep, what good is money if you're not using it to see that show?
atlantamoi
09-29-08, 06:56 AM
Oh well, if Queen can tour without Freddie, Zeppelin can tour without it's drummer, lol You don't think there's a slight difference between a lead singer and a drummer? I'm not slagging on Bonham because he was obviously ridiculously great.
I'd like to see them, but it depends on how crazy prices are.
GoVegan
09-29-08, 07:44 AM
Don't get too excited. The original article was from the Sun. Here's what Robert Plant had to say to the BBC:
Looks like it's not going to happen, at least not for the next few years.
B5Erik
09-29-08, 09:25 AM
Hmmmm....
Sounds like from that story that Page, Jones, and Bonham might still be working together. Maybe they will be doing an album and tour next year without Plant.
They certainly can't wait very long to do the full Zep tour - they're all getting pretty old. It's one thing to continue on like the Stones, Purple, etc, if you've been doing it all along and still have the chops, but these guys do it so infrequently that they're not in touring shape and their chops aren't up to snuff (they had to rehearse for months for last year's show).
This story continues to be interesting and frustrating for Zeppelin fans.
mickey65
09-29-08, 10:14 AM
No Plant or John Bonham - no Zep.
Who is in their right mind is going to see Zep w/o Plant doing the singing?
Even if and when they all tour together, I'd probably have to mortgage my house to pay for a ticket. I'll just watch my old bootlegs...
Rypro 525
09-29-08, 01:08 PM
is the reunion show ever going to be released on dvd?
nothingfails
09-29-08, 01:41 PM
You don't think there's a slight difference between a lead singer and a drummer? I'm not slagging on Bonham because he was obviously ridiculously great.
I'd like to see them, but it depends on how crazy prices are.
I know this I think Queen touring without Freddie is absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary. I was joking that if Queen can do it without Freddie, Zeppelin touring without Bonham should be nothing.
cungar
09-29-08, 01:44 PM
DEBUNKED!
Robert Plant has debunked the latest rumors of a Led Zep reunion on his
official website saying once he finishes his current tour with Alison
Krauss, Plant has "no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at
least the next two years."
They certainly can't wait very long to do the full Zep tour - they're all getting pretty old. It's one thing to continue on like the Stones, Purple, etc, if you've been doing it all along and still have the chops, but these guys do it so infrequently that they're not in touring shape and their chops aren't up to snuff (they had to rehearse for months for last year's show).
Yeah, and, I hate to say this, but there might be a "next few years" for these guys. Plant is sixty and Page is close to sixty-five. These guys haven't exactly lived easy lives (IYKWIM) and they're well into that age when you start paying the piper. It's not out of the realm of possibility that these guys could get sidelined long-term at any moment. Or worse.
NoirFan
09-29-08, 02:44 PM
Jimmy Page needs this far more than Robert Plant does. Plant has a successful solo career. Page has the Death Wish II soundtrack.
nothingfails
09-29-08, 03:27 PM
DEBUNKED!
Robert Plant has debunked the latest rumors of a Led Zep reunion on his
official website saying once he finishes his current tour with Alison
Krauss, Plant has "no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at
least the next two years."
I can understand why Plant doesn't want to turn into the Stones, but why not strike while the irons hot? The Alison Krauss collaboration album was his most successful album in ages... and I think a huge factor of it was because of the hype from the one-off Zep reunion tour paired with the release of Mothership.
mickey65
09-29-08, 04:07 PM
I heard somewhere that Plant is thinking of doing another album with Alison because of the success of this album and the tour.
IMO, I think Plant is "done" with Led Zeppelin and wants to stick with his own thing.
nothingfails
09-29-08, 05:04 PM
I heard somewhere that Plant is thinking of doing another album with Alison because of the success of this album and the tour.
IMO, I think Plant is "done" with Led Zeppelin and wants to stick with his own thing.
I still think the success with the album with Alison had everything to do with the fact that all things Zeppelin-related were suddenly "hot" again with the one-off concert and the release of Mothership and the special edition DVD of The Song Remains The Same. He could've done an album with Yoko Ono and it would've sold. I think most people would rather see him onstage with Jimmy Page over Alison Krauss anyday.
Hollowgen
09-29-08, 06:35 PM
I still think the success with the album with Alison had everything to do with the fact that all things Zeppelin-related were suddenly "hot" again with the one-off concert and the release of Mothership and the special edition DVD of The Song Remains The Same. He could've done an album with Yoko Ono and it would've sold. I think most people would rather see him onstage with Jimmy Page over Alison Krauss anyday.
either that, or the fact that the album was actually good :)
wm lopez
09-29-08, 07:05 PM
Jimmy Page needs this far more than Robert Plant does. Plant has a successful solo career. Page has the Death Wish II soundtrack. I remember Gene Siskel making fun of the soundtrack when he reviewed DEATH WISH 2 on his show.
nothingfails
09-29-08, 07:25 PM
either that, or the fact that the album was actually good :)
good albums by over-40 artists unfortunately don't sell on quality, it all depends on how "hot" and talked about the artist is at the time. Plant's had a steller solo career but yet nobody bought Dreamland for instance because there wasn't hype regarding a potential reunion with his former band in 2002.
Jason
09-29-08, 08:07 PM
No Plant or John Bonham - no Zep.
Who is in their right mind is going to see Zep w/o Plant doing the singing?
Even if and when they all tour together, I'd probably have to mortgage my house to pay for a ticket. I'll just watch my old bootlegs...
Eh, it might be fun to see Page playing a whole show of LZ songs and without Plant, tickets might be available for less than a car payment.
atlantamoi
09-30-08, 06:59 AM
I still think the success with the album with Alison had everything to do with the fact that all things Zeppelin-related were suddenly "hot" again with the one-off concert and the release of Mothership and the special edition DVD of The Song Remains The Same. He could've done an album with Yoko Ono and it would've sold. I think most people would rather see him onstage with Jimmy Page over Alison Krauss anyday. Eh, you might be partly correct, but that album was possibly the best thing Plant has been involved with in 25 years. I caught a gig on CMT of Plant and Krauss and it was freaking brilliant. Not to mention the backup musicians were other-worldly. I'm middle aged and do care about quality and haven't been blown away by Plant until this collaboration.
mickey65
09-30-08, 09:59 AM
There was only about 3 songs I liked on the "Rising Sand" album. Actually, they do a few Led Zeppelin songs in their set, and Allison does a great job with "Battle of Evermore".
I haven't seen the show, just listened to some bootleg stuff from it.
Led Zeppelin looking to tour without Plant: report
1 hr 35 mins ago
LONDON (Reuters) – British rockers Led Zeppelin are looking at the possibility of touring and recording without frontman Robert Plant, who has resisted pressure to reunite with his former bandmates, the BBC reported.
The band, which sold an estimated 300 million albums and is considered one of the most influential in rock music, briefly regrouped for a one-off charity concert in London in December, 2007, leading to calls from fans for a full reunion tour.
Guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/instrumentalist John Paul Jones are both understood to be keen to return to the stage, as is drummer Jason Bonham, the son of original member John who died in 1980, reportedly after a bout of heavy drinking.
But Plant, who has forged the most successful solo career of the surviving band members, has always appeared reluctant and last month issued a terse statement confirming his intentions. "Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin," he said.
Jones told the BBC's Radio Devon that the band had already tried out possible replacements for Plant.
"We want to do it. It's sounding great and we want to get on and get out there," he said at a guitar show in Exeter, southwest England.
"It's got to be right. There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band," he added.
Jones said Led Zeppelin, which broke up in 1980, planned a tour and a new record.
Other big pop acts have re-formed with new performers brought in, most notably Queen which has been working with Paul Rodgers on lead vocals in recent years replacing Freddie Mercury who died in 1991.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)
I personally wouldn't be willing to spend more than a $100 for a ticket with Robert Plant singing. But there is no way in hell that I would pay anything to watch them play without him. It's pointless.
Page should just tour with The Black Crowes. Might as well just leave Jones out again. :lol:
starseed1981
10-28-08, 04:41 PM
Ugh...I'm so torn about this.
Jippy
10-28-08, 05:02 PM
I can appreciate the enthusiasm that Page, Jones, and Bonham have for this concept, but there's no way I would be interested in seeing this without Plant. You simply could not promote this as an LZ 'reunion' tour and not have Robert Plant.
NoirFan
10-28-08, 05:34 PM
The only way I'd have any interest in a Zep reunion without Plant is if they got Chris Cornell to front the band. I'm sure he'll be desperate for work after his ridiculous Timbaland collaboration bombs.
Eh, I'd probably spend up to $150 to go to this. Without Plant at least there'd be a chance I'd get tickets without having to take out a second mortgage.
Hollowgen
10-28-08, 09:10 PM
while i sure as hell wouldn't go see them without plant... does anyone here honestly think the man could do a full tour and actually stay singin' (or alive?) for the zep catalogue on stage? he ain't mick jagger!
mickey65
10-28-08, 09:41 PM
There is no Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant or John Bonham. Even without Robert, this is a bad idea.
Maybe they are only foolin' in hopes of Robert get pissed about it all and saying "fuck it" and just doing it.
B5Erik
10-28-08, 10:38 PM
I don't know - Robert Plant's vocal range has been shot for 20 years, so a new singer might actually make for a better show.
I mean, Plant has been holding this thing up for a year, and it looks like he's basically saying he doesn't want to do a Led Zeppelin tour - ever.
Jason Bonham is as good as his dad, and with Page & Jones this could be really good - if they get the right singer. (I'd love to see Coverdale get the gig - remember, he was a lead vocalist for Deep Purple in the 70's - but that isn't going to happen...)
jbnugent
10-29-08, 01:13 PM
Led Zeppelin touring without Robert Plant would be as bad as Pink Floyd touring without Roger Waters. What a disaster that would be- wait... what?
jbnugent
10-29-08, 01:27 PM
Eh, you might be partly correct, but that album was possibly the best thing Plant has been involved with in 25 years... I'm middle aged and do care about quality and haven't been blown away by Plant until this collaboration.
"Eh" right back at'cha. That quote pretty much negates Plant's entire solo career. Yes, "Raising Sand" is a brilliant album made successful with Alison Krauss' and T-Bones involvement, in addition to the other fantastic artists that perform on it. The album has many stand-out tracks on it and they are all on-par with the many stand-out tracks on Plant's solo albums.
As someone who claims to care about quality- if you haven't been blown away by anything Plant has done in the past 25 years, you haven't been listening.
my 2 cents...
Jimmy
cungar
10-29-08, 04:19 PM
Led Zeppelin touring without Robert Plant would be as bad as Pink Floyd touring without Roger Waters. What a disaster that would be- wait... what?
Actually it was.
mickey65
10-29-08, 05:05 PM
"Eh" right back at'cha. That quote pretty much negates Plant's entire solo career. Yes, "Raising Sand" is a brilliant album made successful with Alison Krauss' and T-Bones involvement, in addition to the other fantastic artists that perform on it. The album has many stand-out tracks on it and they are all on-par with the many stand-out tracks on Plant's solo albums.
As someone who claims to care about quality- if you haven't been blown away by anything Plant has done in the past 25 years, you haven't been listening.
my 2 cents...
Jimmy
Actually, as a fan of Zep and of Plant's solo stuff, I can honestly say that I only liked a handful of his solo albums, his first two are my favorites. I saw him quite a few times in the 80's and put on great shows.
I just couldn't pay good money to go to a Led Zeppelin concert without him singing those songs. I've listened to Zep for about 30 years and it's always been about Robert Plant singing those songs, not some yahoo from a youtube video Pagey found - much like Neil Schon did with his latest lead singer for Journey.
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only Zep fan who feels this way.
In my opinion, it's sacrilege to replace Plant with someone else and tarnishes the Zep name and history. I have no problem with Jason replacing his dad on the drums tho, he does a good job and is carrying on for his father.
wm lopez
10-29-08, 07:13 PM
[QUOTE=mickey65;9037019]Actually, as a fan of Zep and of Plant's solo stuff, I can honestly say that I only liked a handful of his solo albums, his first two are my favorites. I saw him quite a few times in the 80's and put on great shows.
Did he sing Zep songs at those concerts?
pjflyer
10-29-08, 10:31 PM
I see a "find the singer" reality show coming out of this.
nolanski
10-29-08, 10:31 PM
Yeah well with all this all I would hope for, for now was a just 16:9 DTS mix of the show in London on DVD or even better on BR but I guess that will never happen-pray-
Decker
10-30-08, 02:42 AM
Did he sing Zep songs at those concerts?
I saw him a couple of years ago here in Vegas. It was cool because he played at the relatively small LV Hilton Ballroom and he reminisced about how he and Page came to that very room in the mid-seventies to watch Elvis. He played a lot of Zep songs and it was funny -- every time he played Zep, the place went nuts, every time he did a solo number, there was a rush to the bars or the restrooms.
jbnugent
10-30-08, 08:03 AM
...every time he played Zep, the place went nuts, every time he did a solo number, there was a rush to the bars or the restrooms.
I've witnessed the same phenomenon occur at several Roger Waters shows. Floyd material garnered SERIOUS crowd response while his solo material seemed to simultaneously fill bladders and fill people with the urge to refill said bladders once purged...
Jimmy
jbnugent
10-30-08, 08:28 AM
Actually, as a fan of Zep and of Plant's solo stuff, I can honestly say that I only liked a handful of his solo albums, his first two are my favorites. I saw him quite a few times in the 80's and put on great shows.
I just couldn't pay good money to go to a Led Zeppelin concert without him singing those songs. I've listened to Zep for about 30 years and it's always been about Robert Plant singing those songs, not some yahoo from a youtube video Pagey found - much like Neil Schon did with his latest lead singer for Journey.
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only Zep fan who feels this way.
In my opinion, it's sacrilege to replace Plant with someone else and tarnishes the Zep name and history. I have no problem with Jason replacing his dad on the drums tho, he does a good job and is carrying on for his father.
Couldn't agree with you more. Plant's first three solo albums are my favorites with his most recent two- Dreamland and Mighty Rearranger- nicely bookending the so-so Now and Zen, Manic Nirvana and Fate of Nations. Dreamland is poised to shoehorn in between Principle and Shaken. We can't leave out The Honeydrippers! Fun disc from start to finish.
Led Zeppelin replacing Plant on vocals would not be Led Zeppelin. That change in personnel would go over like a lead balloon. A Bonham replacing a Bonham is acceptable in light of the circumstances. However, in this case, Plant is still above ground and in possession of the goods. Touring without him under the Led Zep moniker shouldn't even be considered.
Pink Fraud is bad enough, lets not bring another legend down.
(Ironically, I like the music Gilmour and company make under the Pink Floyd banner, but as above, without the iconic founding member voice, it just isn't Pink Floyd. I wish they would have honored Waters' request to retire the name with dignity.)
2 more cents...
Jimmy
SomethingMore
10-30-08, 09:50 AM
THIS (http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2008/10/29/zeppelin-reunion/) is a great blog entry by Bob Lefsetz on the issue.
I agree 100%. Robert Plant is the only one making the right decision here.
revisiting the past is like going to the prom at age thirty. It can never be the same, no matter how great the memories are.
B5Erik
10-30-08, 10:35 AM
If Jimmy and John Paul Jones want to tour why shouldn't they be able to tour?
They've got a great drummer in Jason Bonham. If Plant refuses to do it then screw him. They have a right to go out and play the material they wrote. They shouldn't be held hostage by the whims of Robert Plant.
Besides, as I noted, Plant's range has been shot for over 20 years. If he won't do it then get someone who can actually hit the right notes.
SomethingMore
10-30-08, 11:12 AM
I agree that, if they want to tour (and play Zep songs), they can and should. No one is being held hostage, though. :/
I think it's a bit shady for them to call themselves Led Zeppelin without all (surviving) members of the band... especially 2 decades later. (see: Guns N Roses for another example, or as already mentioned, Pink Floyd)
"Informed" fans will know the difference, but most won't. Does it matter if they never find out? To them, probably not, but I find it a little disrespectful. These are the people who will be paying for tickets to see the big Led Zeppelin Reunion Tour, putting a ridiculous amount of money in the band's (and record label's) pockets, as they have since they became fans, for a "once in a lifetime" experience... which it isn't.
Either way... I'm impressed that Plant would rather work on his new direction in music while he still can as opposed to the boring "reunion" tours that, in my opinion, are a reminder of just how far some acts have fallen.
:)
jbnugent
10-30-08, 12:21 PM
If Jimmy and John Paul Jones want to tour why shouldn't they be able to tour?
Sure they should tour- by all means! I'd love to see Jimmy and John Paul jam, just don't bill it as a Led Zeppelin performance when its not Led Zeppelin. Page and Plant have performed together several times but do not referred to themselves as Led Zeppelin. See Page/Plant No Quarter: Unledded.
Besides, as I noted, Plant's range has been shot for over 20 years. If he won't do it then get someone who can actually hit the right notes.
Uhh... no. Sample some of Plant's solo catalog to see that his range has indeed remained intact, considering his advancing years.
Very few vocalists can maintain their range over the course of a lifetime, and Plant's is certainly revealing its history. I concede that his range is not what it once was, but it has certainly not been "shot" for over 20 years. One has but only to listen to 2002's Dreamland to hear that his chops are still there. Hell, go back to the aforementioned 1994 performance on "No Quarter"- VERY respectable.
I, for one, would rather hear Plant hit his notes than a hired gun hit the right notes any day of the week. I reiterate: No Plant, No Led Zeppelin.
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